I have seen a few airguns go for high prices at auctions of late. some of which where higher than you would pay from dealers. one sticks that in mind
£700 hammer price for a excellent Webley Mk3. a few weeks ago the thing is do you buy from a dealer, or do you wait for one to come along at lower price. which might take a long time if for a very rare gun.
I keep an eye on Holts but am not a fan of closed bid auctions. Too easy to over pay when in the grips of FOMO.